If the American Gaming Association’s estimates are correct when the nets are cut down Monday night to complete the NCAA Tournament, 68 million Americans will have bet $1.5 billion on the NCAA Tournament.

Across the nation, college athletic directors, coaches and their compliance office will cross their fingers and hope that athletes for their teams and their schools aren’t included in those numbers.

Sports betting in person and online may be legal in Massachusetts now, but it remains strictly prohibited by the NCAA. College athletes and athletic department employees are prohibited from wagering money on any contest involving a sport that the NCAA sponsors. They can bet on horse racing, boxing and all the international rugby they want, but NCAA bracket pools, Super Bowl squares, daily fantasy etc. are off limits. UMass sends out regular reminders to its athletes and staff.